Resource Type: Molecular Science Modules

These modules, built around particulate-level simulations of chemical systems, aid students in drawing connections between disciplines such as chemistry, biology and materials science. Their scope is molecular science. Molecular science includes the study of how molecular structure and motion lead to emergent macroscopic properties, and the synthesis/engineering of structures with desirable properties. [More information..]

  • Thermochemistry

      Energy and Enthalpy

    • Inelastic collisions

      Solid materials have a wide range of values for physical properties like electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, hardness, etc. Often, properties that are easily macroscopically observable arise from the…

    • Entropy

    • Chemical Potential- Staircase Demonstration

      As we look for connection points across disciplines, we are increasingly drawn to chemical potential as the connection point. This simulation shows particles thermally distributed on a staircase. A linear increase…

  • Properties of Solutions

      Intermolecular Forces

    • Brownian motion

      Particulate level simulations that show only solute particles are convenient, since they focus student attention on the molecules of most interest. However, such solute molecules move in a Brownian manner. This…

    • Colligative Properties

    • Osmotic pressure

      When a balloon is filled to near bursting with SF6 is left in air, it will often burst after a period of time. This is because the smaller N2 molecules diffuses into the balloon while the larger SF6 molecules remains…